Tobacco-cutting box.



W. E. ROYSTER, Jn.

I TOBACCO CUTTING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1912.

1,070,988, Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES INVENTOR M/ga/n [Hogs/2J1: W; ATTORNEYS W. E. ROYSTER, JR- TOBAGGO CUTTING Box;

' APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1912.

1 070 9 I Patented-Aug. 19, 1913.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

.20 I l MZ/ 1 5 q 2061 6 WITNESSES I/VI/E/VTOR ATTORNEYS comm PLANDGIAPH 7-. WASHINGTON, D. C.

W. B. ROYSTER, JR.

TOBAGGOVCUTTING BOX.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.16, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

4SHEETSSHEET3.

INVENTOR M/l/am [.RoysfegJn MNMV WVHW WV 1 A WW WM I WITNESSES ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH cu., WASHINGTON. 0, c4

w. E. R OYSTER, JR. TOBACCO CUTTING BOX.

- APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16, 1912.

1,070,988, Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

4 SHEETS-sum? 4.

WITNESSES g 5." I I -/N|/ENTOR Mll/am f. HayafeqJn BY U ,,,,J

" ATTORNEYS COLUMBIA PMNOORAPH '60-. WASHINGTON. D. C.

unrrnn STATES PATENT orricni.

WILLIAM EDWIN ROYSTER, JR., OF HENDERSON, KENTUCKY.-

TOIBACCO-CUTTING BOX.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM E. ROYSTER, J r., a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Henderson, in the county of Henderson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and Improved TobaccoCutting Box, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to cutting boxes for tobacco and has particular reference to implements of this character adapted especially for retail merchants who retail taxpaid tobacco or other operators on a moderate scale.

Among the objects of this invention is to provide a cutting apparatus having a wide range of adaptability to the cutting of tobacco of full natural length leaves pressed together in various forms.

More specifically stated, one of the objects is to provide a cutter whereby a retail merchant who retails taxpaid tobacco may conveniently handle tobaccos which have been pressed together in long strips or blocks of the full length leaves, and which without some sort of cutting device could not be handled economically or conveniently.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for the use of retail merchants who sell tax paid tobacco to the consuiner and who buy tax paid leaf tobacco, plug, bundles of strips of tobacco and other forms of the same, pressed and packed, and tax paid qualified forms of tobacco, and which device may be used by such retail merchants for cutting the various tobaccoe above referred to in long cut, fine cut, short cut or in other lengths suitable for pipe smoking or chewing. By the use of this device a farmer or grower or any other owner of raw leaf tobacco may qualify under the law as a manufacturer of tobacco and press his tobacco in shape to fit this apparatus, and after paying the tax on his tobacco he may sell it directly to the merchant, thereby enabling the grower to get a better price for his tobacco than usual, and also enabling the consumer to get a first class commodity at a reasonable cost.

The foregoing and other objects of this invention will hereinafter be more fully described and claimed and illustrated in the drawings accompanying this specification in which like characters of reference indicate Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 16, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19,1913.

Serial No. 715,329.

corresponding parts in all the views, and in wh1ch Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cutting box in a preferred embodiment or arrange-- ment of the parts thereof; Fig. 2 is a front end view of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical transverse section on the line 33 of Fig. 5; Fig. 4: is a fragmentary side elevation showing the arrangement of the dowel and guide pins; Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section substantially on the line 55 of Fig. 3; Fig. 6 is a corresponding view of a modified arrangement of the parts of the same device; Fig. 7 is a perspective view of one of the auxiliary bed plates; Fig. 8 is a detail per spective view of one form of the gage; Fig. 9 is a rear elevation of a modified form of gage and knife; Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the same shown in connection with the cutting box frame; Fig. 11 is a horizontal section substantially on the line 1111 of Fig. 10; and Fig. 12 is a further modification.

Referring particularly to the drawings I show at 12 a cutting box made in accordance with this invention comprising a cutting bed 13 suitably supported upon front and rear supports 14 and 15 respectively. As inclicated in Figs. 2 and 3 the bed 13 is rectangular in cross section and is adapted to receive therein strips or blocks of tobacco to be cut transversely in various cuts or lengths. By reference particularly to Fig. 6 the bed 13 is arranged to receive plugs or rectangular blocks of manufactured tobacco and to be pushed or fed therein toward the front or cutting end of the box in any convenient manner. I show for this purpose a feeder comprising a plate 16 having an upwardly extending handle 17 and being provided with a plurality of spikes 18 extending downwardly therethrough and projecting toward the front of the box. These spikes are rigidly and permanently connected with the feeder plate. The corresponding set of spikes 19 project upwardly and forwardly from the bottom of the bed 13. A mass of tobacco put into the bed will be engaged by the spikes 18 when the feeder is moved forwardly by the o-perators hand and such tobacco will be caught and held in such advanced position by the spikes 19 ready for subsequent reciprocation of the feeder and advanced movement of the tobacco. The

handle support 20 is provided with a transverse slot 20 through which extends a trans verse cross bar 21.. The ends of the cross bar are slidably mounted for vertical movement between pairs of guide pins 22 fitted permanently in the respective side members of the bed 13. By this construction a limited amount of reciprocation of the feeder through the manipulation of the handle 17 is permitted. The forward movement of the feeder may be limited by its front end impinging against a portion of the frame or otherwise or else by contact of a stop 20 striking against the rear end of the cutter bed. The cross bar 21 and the aforesaid stops will prevent the feeder from moving the tobacco through the cutter bed to an excessive extent in ordinary operations.

The usual cuttings of the tobacco will be short in comparison with the extent of reciprocation which may be possible for the feeder to make, and hence I provide some convenient means for securing uniformity of the length of the cuttings of any particular grade or quality of tobacco. Fig. 8 shows in detail one form of gage which may be used in connection with the frame 14 for this purpose. This gage 23 comprises a substantially flat member adapted to be slipped into or out of a pair of vertical grooves 24 in said frame. As indicated, the gage 23 is rabbet-ed along its edges at 25, the rabbets being of different depths whereby when the gage is in place the bottoms or outer walls of the rabbets will constitute an active gage for the length of the tobacco desired for any particular adjustment. The gage 23 also serves as a knife guard for holding the knife against the front of the device when in operation, and especially when a detached knife, as shown in Fig. 12, is used. For instance, as indi cated in Fig. 6, the gage is set for a wider or longer out than would be effected if the gage were slipped out and returned in inverted position. The depth to which the gage will slip in said grooves 24 will be determined by stops 2st or the like.

Any suitable cutting device, such as a knife or the like, may be employed in connection with the apparatus thus far described. As shown in the first figures, however, I provide a knife 26 and pivot it as at 27 to the front part of the frame 12. The body of the knife may be of any suitable form or construction, its edge, however, being preferably elliptical and adapted when the knife is swung around its pivot to sweep across the edge 13 of the cutting bed. The knife is shown provided with a handle 28 which serves not only to manipulate the knife but also to act as a stop at 28 to limit its downward movement.

That form of the cutter and gage illustrated in Figs. 9, 10 and 11 comprises a gage 23 adapted to rotate around the center or pivot 27 and having a circumferentially auranged depression 25, the outer wall of which determines the length of the cut. The periphery of this rotary gage member is guided in grooves 2% of the frame 14 constituting the front end of the main frame 12. The knife in this form is indicated at 26' and is carried by the rotary gage with its cutting edge adjacent or extending into an openin 29 between the knife and the end of the gage wall. The gage and knife may be rotated around. the pivot 27 by means of a handle 28. lVhen so rotated the knife will coiiperate as before with the edge 13 of the cutting box. F

hen the device to be used for operating upon masses of tobacco which are circular or oval in cross section, I provide auxiliary parts as follows: Within the bed 13 are fitted a pair of auxiliary bed plates 30 which are adapted to be secured rigidly or temporarily therein by any suitable means such as pins 31 passing through the bed plate 13 and portions of the auxiliary plates, as shown best in Fig. 3. The spikes 19 in this instance will be received in the bottoms of the auxiliary plates and serve in connec tion with the pins 31 to hold the said plates in fixed position. The upper or inner surfaces of the plates 30 are suitably curved in accordance with the character of the tobacco to be operated upon and areprovided with forwardly extending spikes 19' which serve the same functions with respect to the tobacco as has already been described in connection with the spikes 19. I also provide for each vertical. side wall of the bed 13 a sideboard 32 and each side board, as shown particularly in Fig. 4, is provided with a dowel pin 33 connected permanently thereto and adapted to extend down 'ardly into a socket 33 in the said side wall. The side board also is provided with a pair of sockets 22 adapt-ed to receive the aforesaid guide pins 22. By means of the pins 33 and 22 the side boards 32 will be secured to the bed 13 in a substantial manner. Again, the side boards are provided with upwardly extending pairs of guide pins 22 which serve the same purpose with respect to thecooperation with the cross bar 21. as was previously described, in connection with the pins 22. It is to be noted that the pins 22 are slightly in the rear of the pins 22, but it is to be noted also in this connection that when the pins 22 are used the feeder will abut substantially at its front end against the frame 14-, but when used in connection with the operation first described. said front end of the feeder may pass within the frame, the width of the frame portion adapted to be impinged in the one instance being substantially equal to the horizontal spacing between said pairs of pins. In the latter adaptation of the device the spikes 18 of the feeder are made to engage, in the operation relative to the feeder plate 16, a pair of auxiliary feeder plates 34 which preferably conform to the shape of the auxiliary bed plates and likewise provided with forwardly extending spikes 18 which serve to feed the tobacco forwardly in the manner already described. It will be understood, of course, that any desired number or arrangement of the spikes 18 and 19 may be used.

When the auxiliary feeding members are used it is preferable to employ a different portion of the gage plate 23 to be used in connection therewith; hence, said gage plate is provided with a plurality of sockets 25 preferably of different depths and adapted to register with the mouth of the elliptical or curved opening in the bed plate.

In Fig. 12 is indicated a straight cutting implement or knife 26 which may be used in some cases in connection with the cutting bed previously described.

It will be noted that when the opening in the rotary gage passes 13*, the groove 25 will form an opening between the outer wall and knife 26, as shown in Fig. 11, through which small particles of tobacco might fall, and to prevent this waste a piece of leather 25", or other suitable material, is fastened on the outer edge extending over said opening and lifts when this part of the gage groove passes the tobacco to be cut, the tobacco which extends past the knife and against the outer wall of the gage depression 25 being the lifter.

The several parts of the device may be made of any suitable materials and the relative sizes and proportions and the details of construction may be further modified as may be more desirable, without departing from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a tobacco cutting box, the combination of a cutter bed having a series of upwardly and forwardly projecting spikes, a feeder reciprocable along the cutter bed and having a series of downwardly and forwardly projecting spikes, a knife movable adjacent the cutter bed and feeder at one end thereof, means to limit the extent of movement of the feeder with respect to the knife, and auxiliary members cooperating with said cutter bed and feeder, said auxiliary members having sockets to receive the aforesaid spikes and being provided with auxiliary sets of spikes cooperating with one another, substantially as and for the purposes set forth.

2. In a tobacco-cutting box, the combination of a frame including a cutter bed, a series of teeth on the inner surface of the bed and projected toward the front, a feeder cooperating with the cutter bed and having a series of teeth projecting inwardly and toward the front, said feeder including means to reciprocate it, means cooperating with the cutter bed and feeder to limit the reciprocations of the feeder, and a cutter knife cooperating with the cutter bed, substantially as set forth.

3. The herein described interchangeable tobacco cutting box comprising, in combination, a cutter bed and a feeder having inwardly and forwardly projecting spikes, auxiliary members cooperating with said bed and feeder and having sockets to receive the aforesaid spikes for securing the auxiliary members in place and also being provided with inwardly and forwardly projecting spikes, a cutting device operatively associated with one end of the cutter bed and feeder, and a gage member serving as a guard for the cutting means, said gage member being provided with a series of rabbets and sockets of varying depths and forms and being removable and interchangeable in accordance with any particular arrangement of cutter beds and feeding devices, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

WILLIAM EDWIN ROYSTER, JR.

WVitnesses:

WM. ELLIOTT, K. B. RoYs'rER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

